The First Snow

Today Washington woke up to its first snow “storm” – that is the name the weather people on the radio called it - for this winter season. By our standards it comes early, and as usual it threatened with chaos and school closings. As usual in DC, whenever there is the slimmest hope of having some form of snow, everyone goes into panic mode, and people went to the grocery store yesterday, got de-icing salt and milk, water and lets not forgot toilet paper. You think I am exaggerating, well last night as I was prepping up for a swim team board meeting, I was watching the local news and they had 3 stories on the snow that was coming, and had of course nice old people buying salt at Home Depot and stuff. Obviously when the snow comes, nothing happens, except empty toilet paper ails in Supermarkets.

I was lucky enough to witness the now today, and lucky in an interesting word, because I experienced it, because I had to take Manolito – for all those novices, Manolito is my car – to the dealership for the very expensive 20,000 miles tune up. I chose to do it on Wednesday because I can take the Metro to work and then take the Metro uptown to pick up the car in the afternoon. As planned the alarm clock went off at 6 am, and I woke up, hopped on the shower, cleansed, shaved and scrubbed and by 6:40 I was ready to go. As I opened the door, I see that it has started to snow, and it was breath taking. Yes it was cold, but it was so quiet and calm. The snow fell upon the cars, the streets, the trees and yards very much like confectioners sugar when it is being sifted, slowly covering all the non moving surfaces, not in clumps, but in small tiny flakes. It was quite the spectacle. I walked to my car, brushed some of the snow off, and drove to the dealership in Bethesda, in awe of it. The fact that it was 6:40 and the light was just starting to change, from dark to light, made a great difference. It took me 15 minutes to reach my destination. At 6:56 I was by the dealership’s door, waiting for it to open.

That was my morning. Obviously the ride in the metro was fine and then the walk in the city was ok, but very routine. Oh well, at least I had an amazing morning.

Comfort (er)

This weekend I got my Christmas present, and it sounds boring but I love it, a real comforter. By real, I mean real, with goose feathers and all that. It was a gift from the Argentine, who had a vested interesting in the comforter situation, and who has a nack for comfort.

For years I had had this IKEA comforter, I got it when I first moved here and having never lived in a land where comforters were needed, well I thought that it was ok. I do not remember what it’s price was at the time, and I do not remember what it was made of. I am sure it was synthetic, and hypo allergenic, but that was it. It was a functional piece, and it worked for 7 years.

Then I started dating the Argentine, and he has a very nice comforter (Polo me thinks) and from the first time I slept under it, I realized how much lighter it was. As time went by, I started noticing the weight of my comforter and how it was not soft, it was not rough, not at all, but it had no volume, and you could see the quilting, even when it was covered. As the move details were discussed I mentioned my intention to get a new comforter, but that was the end of the discussion. Last week as we were looking around, we found one that we liked (for more details go here) and the Argentine made the purchase. We tried it this Sunday, and it is heavenly. Light and warm, it floats above one, and it manages to be cloud like even as it keeps one warm . I am not sure how I spent all these years with a fake one, it almost makes me mad.

Of course there is a problem now, I need to figure out what to get him for Christmas. Like him I believe in useful gifts. There is nothing I dislike more than a gift I do not like, or that I can not make use of. The obvious choice for him is something from the kitchen, but trusts me, he has it all. There is not a lot I can buy he doesn’t already have. A Viking range is out of the question, since we are renting, but trust me I have thought about that. Any one has any ideas?

Schdenfreude

Last night we went to see Avenue Q, with a bunch of swimmers and assorted people, and it was so much better than I expected it to be. It was one of those musicals where the every song is terrific, every character is likeable and every situation is somewhat real. I am sitting here in my desk on Monday morning and I am still some what amazed at the creativity of the people who wrote the book, the music and who came up with the concept.

The show is both a parody of Sesame Street and real life, and what real life is supposed to mean. It starts with a young freshly minted college graduate moving to Avenue Q, and what happens in his first year out there. The show is always ironic and raunchy, but it might be because of the use of puppets that you can just take it all in and enjoy the ride. I had listened to the entire sound track 3 years ago, when the show opened and everyone I knew had either seen it in NY or had heard about it, I remembering listening to it at the Architect’s house and going to next day to purchase it. As I played the entire cd, I fell in love with most of the songs, I specially enjoyed the “Internet is for Porn”, “What do you with a BA in English” and “Everyone is a little bit racist”. They were so different from any other songs I had heard in musicals before, and the seemed so fresh, and witty. When I went and saw it staged, the musical was even better because you get to see what happens in between the songs, and you understand the situations a little bit better and you get to meet The Bad Idea Bears, which are two adorable characters.

I loved the show, and yes I do recommend it completely. A big part of the experience was seeing the Argentine laugh uncontrollably at times, and few things make me smile more.

I do have to say that the show stands well against the test of time, in the early 00’s it was extremely relevant, with all the references to lay offs and young struggling college grads, I am by no means a young struggling college grad and half the show applies directly to my life. Of course the one line that will need to be changed next year is the one about how George Bush is only for now, which almost brought the audience to its feet. It was after all a Washington crowd. But I am sure they can find some other name to use when the times come to show how things are truly mostly for now.

December

It is December people! I have like so many things to get done it is not even funny. No not even. It is scary how much I need to get done and how the year is at and end. Here is a list:

Cards
Presents
Work
IGLA Registration Site
More cleaning, and more moving
Parties (lots of them, thankfully)

The joke is on me !

Picture taken from: http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Finger Prints

I been absent for a couple days, mostly because I am sick (got this nasty cold, and I am wiped, have no energy, and little inspiration for the blog, work or anything else). This is not the only reason, yesterday I went to have my biometrics taken at an immigration center, no I am not a criminal, I just want a Green Card, and this is part of the process. I was a little nervous, not sure why, I just was. At 8:30 I left my place, even if my appointment was not until 10 am, the center was somewhere south of Alexandria, in a place I had never been to, and my driving instructions told me that it would take me 40 minutes to get there, I thought I would give myself 1.5 hours, just in case I get lost. You must all think I am exaggerating, but not, at the bottom of the notice I got from the INS, it said that if one misses one’s appointment, the process is considered abandoned, and I have not been here for 7 years (almost 8) to have anything considered abandoned.

Where was I, ohh yes, so off I went, across the river, and down 395, then up Fairfax County Parkway, after some ups and downs in Virginia’s country side, I got to the place at 9:30 or so. See good thing I gave myself time. I went in to a very anonymous looking facility and promptly got a form to fill and was told to then get a number and then wait. I sat down, filled the form and bonded with my people, of course the majority of people there were my people, so I felt right at home, it could have been El Salvador, or Mexico City, except for the Vietnamese people running the show. I filled the form and in true bureaucratic way, a secretary checked my form, and gave me a number, then told me to go sit in another part of the room and wait for my number to be called. I opened by Smithsonian Magazine and waited for a bit, then in like 15 minutes or so, my number got called. This ancient looking man, who had to be like 150, took my fingerprints, all of them, there were like 20 prints and then my mug shot. I shaved, so I looked decent. Just like that in 5 minutes it was all over, all my nerves and anxiety for nothing. At 10 am I was out of the center and in my car reviewing my shopping list. How better to celebrate than by some shopping. Off I went to Homo Depot and got new lights for the apartment and then off the Targay where I was just looking for some decorations and miscellaneous stuff, but ended up just getting the random stuff, cuz none of the decorations were nice enough.

The rest of the day I spent inside, trying to get over the cold and going through papers and crap that needs to be sorted in the apartment.

Craig’s list works !!!

I am going to let the Argentine blog about thanksgiving in detail; I am just going to say it was wonderful. A four day weekend full of fun, food and cleaning, doesn’t happen every week, and I can say that by the time Sunday night came, I was tired, but extremely satisfied with all the progress we had made, and the food we had cooked, the little shopping, but to top it all, Craig’s list made us three miracles. As you all know the previous weekend we had posted 3 items to be sold, and I had never sold anything like this, so I was afraid no one would be interested, and that the adds would be forgotten by new adds posted after we posted ours. Well it was not that way at all, here are the three miracles of Craig’s List:


1. Friday morning this dude calls and asks about the Futon, I had had calls for the entertainment center, but not for the futon. We were having breakfast, considering what to do that day, and someone calls for the futon. We arrange a time, the dude needs to get this car someone is going to lend him. Finally at the time convened he picks it up and pays almost the price we set. Someone else had emailed about the frame, and some other person had called enquiring about it.


2. Tuesday of this week, a get a call at work about the Entertainment center, a monstrosity that I inherited from the two previous inhabitants of my abode. The guy was going to pick it up Saturday at 11, which created havoc on my schedule, but I decided to sacrifice 30 mins of swimming. Friday night, we start to take it apart and it gets damaged. Anyway it was a large piece and had so many nuts and bolts and pieces that even with out best drawing efforts, putting it back together would have been a pain. Then on Saturday he called saying he was running late, and we had brunch plans and things to do the rest of the day so good riddance. I proceeded to go to Brunch at Tabard Inn and loved it.


3. Saturday night, at dinner, I get a call from someone interested in the one piece I never thought would sell, the microwave stand. It is ugly, and the Microwave in it is old and useless. I thought that one we are going to have to eat. And dismantle and take to the dumpster. Well no, not at all. A girl called and said she was interested. We called Sunday and arranged for a pick up time, at said time she came, and paid the price and took it away. I even tried to give her the oven for free but she already had one. On Sunday I got another email enquire about the stand, so if she had not liked it, we had another buyer.

See the List works ! I am now one of its most devoted believers. So remember next time you need to sell or buy anything, just go to craigslist.

Something funny

Two cute cartoons to make you laugh



The follow up ...



Both are courtesy of the Washington Post

Throw it out !!!

This weekend as it has been already posted here, the Argentine and I, went through my closets and de-cluttered them. There were t-shirts from when I was 10 (I still fit in them, still being almost the same height), pants I no longer fit in (thanks North Carolina) sweaters and sweatshirts I no longer wear (thanks Consulting gig with little casual wear options), and papers, many papers and letters that had not been filed or shredded or anything. At first I was a bit apprehensive, being a pack-rat the whole process of sorting and getting rid of stuff always intimidates me, and having had a big enough apartment to just cart stuff into it, well I have not really had the need to get of things, there was/is always room to put something – except for the kitchen – but seeing how we are moving in together (see here and here) I really needed to get rid of stuff and make room.

Half way through the process, in between the laughs, the faces, the sorting and the mess, I realized how empowering the de-cluttering process would be. As the trash bags with clothes for Good Will got bigger, and the shredding of papers accelerated, and the space magically reappeared before my eyes, I felt better and better. It went to my head and I wanted to get rid of everything, we saw something I had not worn recently and I would say, lets get rid of it, but the Argentine would disagree and remind me that I need some clothes, I guess the hair on my back and chest not a shirt makes, ha,ha,ha (c’on laugh). The best part was when we got rid of these piece of furniture that had left behind by the previous dwellers of my apartment, and as we sorted through the crap in the little closet, and we finally disassembled, and took it out of the apartment, my little foyer became a foyer again.

The apartment is by no means ready for the move, but there is space in the closets. Some of the pieces of furniture are going to be sold and I am ready. I almost want the move to happen tomorrow, so that it is done with. Of course if the Argentine was to move in tomorrow, it would mean a very hurried Thanksgiving dinner, and I would be happy to do so, but I rather take my time. I am enjoying the cleaning process, and the making room process and the sorting and throwing out process. All these steps help my anal retentive mind assures me that we have made the right decision. The apartment is not this luxurious pad, but it is big enough, we will make it work.

PS. I could try and write something, about a little discussion that went on the Argentine’s site, but I for once will refrain. I am just going to say that I know it is the right decision.

Carols on the 15th … ??

Yesterday as I drove back from the hinterlands, I was tired of stories on Iraq, the Presidential Campaign, inequality in America, etc. etc. So I changed the dial, and I was looking for some pop music to keep me company. Went to 107.3 but they had adds, try 99.5 they had some rap-hip-hop thingy that did not please me at all, finally I went to 97.1, the cheesiest radio station in town, but it was better than more on Hilary Clinton. All of sudden I start hearing something that could be a Christmas song, but could also just be the introduction to an old 80’s pop song. I wait and All I want for Christmas, played on. I was not dismayed, not was I revolted, I like carols and holiday music, at least as much as the next gay guy, but this early in the year? Thanksgiving is a week from yesterday, I would expect radio stations to wait at least another week, but no, no in DC, they had to go for it. My main complain with this early caroling is that by the time the Christmas comes around I am all caroled out. Back home the holiday music crazy is hardly as strong as here, first of all the Christmas Carols come in two versions, the old Spanish one, and the covers from Anglo-Saxon ones. Let’s just say that the later leave a lot to be desired off. So one week of old fashioned “Campanas de Belen” or the American standards were enough for me and the family.

Have you ever …

• Read a book with such tiny print that three or four pages equal 25 in other books?
• Read a book that has so much information per paragraph that after 2 pages you feel like you need to rest your head and process stuff ?
• Read a book on the evolution of cooking written by and Oxford Historian?

Well if you have you can probably pass me the Cliff notes for the book I am reading now. If not brace yourselves because this will be a review that is going to take me 3 months to write. Of course in the mean time I am reading some rather trashy books too.

The let down

Last night Project Runway debuted, and as much as I love the show, and I am a huge fan do not take me wrong, I can not help but report that I am a little disappointed. As usual the gaggle of gays came together to watch, and because it was such a fun group of people, even if we had watched the evening news, I would have had a good time. The show was good, it did not change from the tried and true formula, which is a good thing. They kept all the original judges and Tim, who are the core of the show. So far so good right, everything seems good, the same product placements the same exact editing and style to the show.

My big problem is with the contestants. There is no one that really impresses me or makes me want to root for them. Not one. We all know one of the contestants (someone much better than others) but he is most definitely not someone I would consider a favorite. The women on the show are all very drab and grunge for my taste, and the men are at least all out of the closet (yes even the straight one, is out of the straight closet, and made a point of saying so) and they are also a bit too emo for me. The one exception is the Costume Designer, who I am betting will go far, he might not win, because he is a little to showy and not fashion enough, but he has solid talent.

Anyhow, I am also guessing that as the weaker contestants get booted, the show will get more interesting and I will be able to pick up some favorites.

Isn’t exercise supposed to give energy?

I have always heard the exercise, supposedly gives you energy. I am sorry to burst all y’all’s bubbles, because it does not. I know I am in no shape or form, but this past week and half I have been trying to get back into the swing of things. Slowly bur surely I assumed I would benefit from daily exercise to jump start my metabolism, and my energy levels.

In order to achieve this, I:

• Swam Saturday (and struggled, but I finished the practice)
• Skipped Sunday (have learned that I need one day off)
• Did spinning Monday
• Swam Tuesday (yesterday)

Last night, I saw a show on the Dover Intelligent Design Case on PBS (where else?) and then read for 30 minutes, and feel asleep promptly at 10:45 or so. Slept like a rock, and when the radio started playing at 6:30 am, I could not leave the bed. It was not the cold (it is not that cold yet) I was simply exhausted.

Oh well, what is a modern day homosexual to do, I will go to the gym today, so that I have time to do some laundry and more Christmas cards this evening before Project Runway.

Just had to get socks

This is my second week back in DC, and I been struggling to get back into my routine, of cardio, and dinner, and some more cardio and work, etc, etc. If I only had a better metabolism, sigh, no I am not having a fat day, what I have been having is a couple of incompetent days. Let me explain, last Friday I packed both my bags, with work stuff and gym stuff, so that I would leave work and drive straight to the gym, work out and then go meet the Argentine. As planned I leave the office, call my Mom on the way to the gym and then after fighting traffic (the DC government is redoing the sidewalks in Rock Creek Parkway, they have been working on it for months now, causing traffic backups everyday, this is neither here nor there, I know) I get to Dupont, park the car and go into results to realize I had forgotten my sneakers. Yep, so I thought I will see if they sell them, and they do, but they were $89, and do I really want to fork out that much money, when they sneakers where home. No I did not think so. I went to the Argentine’s and read.

Yesterday – Monday – I left work and get to the gym, there was no swim practice, so I did spinning, and as I am changing I realize I have forgotten socks. Well I have many gym socks, but a bunch of them are old, and need replacing, so I sighed, walked to the reception and checked their socks, they had a 3 pairs for $11, and seeing how it was 5:55 and class was going to start at 6:15, I made my purchase and got over myself. Today I made sure I had packed everything. I even checked twice.

That time of the year again

Like the anal retentive fag I am, I send Christmas cards, these year after a failed attempt at ordering in NY – they were too expensive – I visited “The Written Word” and bought 50 cards to start with (the list is made of 60 give or take between now and December when they are mailed). They are lovely cards (3 different motifs) all very minimal and in blue and silver hues. I liked them and best of all they were not as expensive as the beautiful Kate Spade ones I adored, but which came up to 3.50 a piece. Anyhow I went back home and put them aside, while I prepare the addresses of the people I need and I can actually get in the spirit of things and start writing Merry Christmases and Happy New Years and appreciations to all my friends and acquaintances. It takes time, but from experience I can tell that once you get going, it gets easier, and it is really helpful to start with the people you have the least to say, that way you get done with 20 or 25 in no time, and the fountain pen is writing just they way you like it. After this first batch, then the difficult ones start, cuz I like to write something, something that shows I really care and I am not just patting myself in the back for sending cards. So I never send cards with Best Wishes, Pablo, nah.

Well I am getting sidetracked here, yesterday I had to go buy a sympathy card on behalf of the swim team and I needed to buy a new fountain pen. I lost my old one. I like Lamy’s because they are sturdy, I like their medium nibs. Best of all they are cheap. So I found them and I bought myself a new one, and wanted to write a bit that night to get the pen going. I ended up at a store on L St, between 18th and Connecticut. I recommend it to everyone, they have a great service (the space is cramped) they had all kinds of pens and a huge Christmas Card selection. They had tons, and they had some beautiful ones. They also have some humorous, funny, modern ones. Aghh don’t you hate it when you have invested in something and 2 weeks later some better ones come your way. So frustrated, I know how ridiculous this is, I stress over the tiniest details, its one of my neurosis. But not to worry, since I need 10 more cards, I get to buy some of the new ones, and then I have to decide who gets what.

Ok, I think I have given away to much of my personality in this post, oh well.

Hello Commute my old friend !

Being back in DC, for me at least means one thing, commuting to Virginia every day. When I first moved to DC, Virginia was my home base, I lived and worked there for the first 3 years and as I became gayer and gayer (now gayer than gay) I moved into the city and never looked back. Now I would not move to Virginia, mostly because of its politics and because there is no swim practice there (ha,ha,ha, bad joke). Any how, so my problem is that most of the places that I work in are in Virginia that is where my company has contacts and where engagements are. This time I am repeating, working for a non-governmental yet non-private entity that has 2 locations, one Downtown (where I am typing this) and one in Ashburn, where the IT department is located. Unfortunately for me my job is in Ashburn. I tell people that I am semi local, since I drive 35 miles each way to get to work.

The drive is not bad; it is across some beautiful parkways, the GW and Georgetown Pike, which are meandering roads that cross the very northern tip of Virginia, alongside the Potomac. The scenery is beautiful, the problem is the roads, if there is one accident or problem, it will take me 2 hours to get back home. It is the nature of the business, or as a former boss of mine says “It is what it is”. Obviously, I try to make people aware I live in DC, and since most of them know me, they believe me and let me come in early and leave early. The key to coming into the city is getting here before 6, because at 6 for some reason only known to the traffic Gods, the entry points to Rock Creek get drowned in traffic and it just takes another 30 minutes to reach Mount Pleasant. The good thing is I managed to get a new working arrangement where I work in Ashburn 3 days and I am in town 2. It is not bad; it means I only drive 210 miles every week. The bad news for you is that with all that time in the car, I will be getting plenty of inspiration from NPR again.

The Uncommon Reader a Book Review

Another book review, this time, a little novella called “The Uncommon Reader”, by the same author of “The Madness of King George III” and “History Boys”. It is a terrific read, go check it out at the Argentine’s

Theater Whore (or every gay man's fantasy)

My last week in NY was very hurried, I had lots to finish and I was excited I was coming back to a semi local project. M and L, wanted to party like it was 1989, but I remember 1989 and I was not in for a week of late evenings and tens of G&T’s. I thought and thought, and the solution came to me via the NYT Theater page, why not just get tickets for shows, and then have an excuse to not have to go out. Monday I got my credit card out and bought three tickets, one for a Broadway tradition, one for a new show very off-Broadway and the last one for the next big hit. So happily I did what any other theater loving fag would in NY, watch a show every night.


The first show is Forbidden Broadway, this year’s show is called Rude Awakening, and it contains spoofs on Spring Awakening, Company, Grey Gardens, Les Mis, The Little Mermaid, Lion King, etc, etc. Almost every show was made fun of. I specially enjoyed the ones on Spring Awakening, that were dead on and made me think about how Broadway manages to be very shocking at first, but after they have done something, it becomes almost main stream. The show chide all the other shows, for being too commercial, for not being original enough, but it does it with love and admiration and with a big dose of reason. The women seated behind me, clearly a pack of Midwesterners on the prowl, thought they had come to see a completely different show, and when they saw the small theater and the lack of great decorations were a bit disappointed, but as soon as the songs started targeting the better loved musicals knowing by everyone they were fine. The leader had to apologize for choosing this show and not The Phantom.


The second show was a small production, with three actors in a theater that holds maybe 60 audience members. It is called Speech and Debate, and it is the story of three teenagers that come together for a Speech and Debate Club, because they are all outcasts, the club allows them to tap into the schools resources for purposes all their own. There is the attention starved girl, the new gay guy and the nerd. I can not give the plot away, cuz I have a feeling we will be seeing this show in DC soon, it managed to meld blogging, chatting and a traditional school format very well. The show was produced by Roundabout Theater Company as part of the Underground Program. This program tries to produce new author’s work, in a professional environment. One of the strengths of the show was the setting; it looked and felt like a classroom, and the direction. For this piece the Roundabout got same person that directed Avenue Q. This is why I like their productions; they try something new but make sure it is never amateurish. I am sure Studio Theater will have to bring this to DC, besides the production was cheap.

The last show I saw, as Young Frankestein, the new Mel Brooks musical. It is a big show, I mean big, with big stars, great sets, special effects. It has it all except great songs; well I guess Deep Love is a memorable song, but not really a musical hallmark song. The same criticism can be made of The Producers, it has no timeless songs, that can be taken out of context. Still the show is worth it, the cast is great and the story is very funny. I do recommend buying the tickets at the box office, because no one else (except scalpers) will have them in the near future. Andrea Martin, playing Frau Blucher, steals the entire show, even from the ever watching eye of Megan Mullaly, and a nymphomaniac Bride of Frankestein, er Frankesteen.

Brief Intermission

Last week, i was prevented from posting because my customer blocked all blogs. It was a busy week and need to blog about that, but I am back !!! I am in DC ( DC'ish, Ashburn really) but I get to be in town again.

More Updates later, just wanted to say Hello

Bad Car Day

Last Sunday Manolito (my car has a name, and that name is Manolito) decided to pull a stunt on us. We were doing the usual going to Safeway to pick up groceries for the Argentine and for a pumpkin pie I had requested. We left the grocery store get in the car and it refuses to start. We try one more time, it refuses to start again. I start to panic, but the Argentine starts thinking, he thinks it is the battery, and that all we need is for someone to jump start the car. We call Geico and we wait [this post now goes into a linear mode to fully express what happened]

3:30 pm we waiting for Geico tow truck
4:30 pm no truck in site, luckily for us a AAA truck just came into the shopping center, so I go flag it down, he jumpstarts the car. Yay !! all is good, he tells us drive for 20 minutes or so, until the battery recharges
4:50 pm we drive, drive a little more, we even go to Autozone, where they tell us we need to bring the battery in for them to check it
5:00 pm we go back to the Argentine’s
5:01 pm try to start the car, and it died again
5:10 pm decide to check the battery at Autozone, we start by tacking it out of the car, well the Argentine does all the work, I look and cheer and bring the tools (ha,ha,ha). No seriously he is the butch one.
5:30 pm get to Autozone, where they tell us the battery is not charged. Decide on buying a new one, they do not have the one that my car needs, so they tell us they will charge the battery for 30 mins. We wait, and wait and wait
6:00 pm leave Autozone and go try the battery, guess? Yes the battery did not charge.
6:15 pm Drive to my place to get my jumper cables
6:45 pm Try to jump start the car in the hope of driving it to my place where it can be parked and not moved for a week, the Argentine’s street is cleaned Tuesdays and Wednesdays so the car could not be just left there.
6:50 pm Manolito’s electrical system is fine, the windows and the lights turn on and function but the engine is just not starting.
6:53 pm Call Geico to get another person to come help
6:55 pm Eat dinner chez Paradigm, the stew was really good
7:30 pm Tow truck person calls, only he is not in a tow truck he is in a green Cadillac,
7:45 pm we loose all hopes, even after jump starting again, Manolito shuts down within 2 minutes
7:46 pm I freak out
7:47 pm the Argentine helps me keep it all under control and we decide to leave the car there and he will try and get a new battery Monday

… (this means 16 hours go by)

11:00 am the Argentine suggests we call VW Road Side Assistance, since he car is under guarantee.
11:10 am I call and presto, they will take the car to a dealership in the DC Area for free
11:20 am I call the dealership in Tysons Corner, the car is under guarantee
11:30 am try the dealership in Friendship Heights and see if they will take my car, since I usually go to the one in Tysons, they say Yes
11:40 am call VW Road Side, tell them to take the car to the DC Dealership, they say the tow truck will be there within an hour. Give them the Argentine’s number (no silly thoughts, this was all business) and since he is home it should not be a problem.
12:40 pm No sign of the tow truck (actually a flat bed one)
1:00 pm VW called the Argentine to say they had sent another one since the first company had not dispatched the driver
1:10 pm I call VW to get the information on this new company and email it to the Argentine
2:20 pm the first company shows up and they pick up Manolito and take him to the dealership

End of the ordeal, so as you can see it took a full day to resolve the issue. To say I was nervous, anxious and worried sick is an understatement. Then to top it all off I had to travel, so Monday was all done via phone, email and good vibes sent back and forth between DC and the corner of Broadway and 38th. I know it can be much worse, so I am just stating the facts and thanking my man, for helping me out.

Two Different Cities

Last Tuesday I had to dramatically opposite experiences, both here, and both tell plenty about this city. The first one was a farewell for one of our team mates, and for some bizarre reason the people at the office decided to take her to Dave and Busters. I have never been a fan of arcades, or video games, probably my lack of grace, equilibrium and a long attention span, I have just never been able to play arcade games. Not me, not ever. I went to the place located in 42nd Street, right just west of 7th Avenue. It is probably the most horrid space in the entire island. You walk half a block full of LCD displays, adds, lights and bulbs that flash in every imaginable hue. The Red Lobster is right in the intersection of 42nd and 7th, and the one thing that kept capturing my attention was this huge lobster in the facade, like the Earth it kept turning on an axis and opening and closing its claws.

To get into D&b you pass all this horridness and walk into an empty lobby, go up a couple flight of stairs, pass a Ruby Tuesday's and finally you enter the Dave and Busters. It is at that time that you leave Manhattan and you enter America, this generic America where everything everywhere looks exactly the same. The drinks, the space, the people, the menus and the food. For the 2 hours I stayed there, talking to the customers and making nice, I could have been in Fargo, or Atlanta. The place was so generic that the only thing that kept me thinking I was in NY was that I had passed the New Victory Theater on my way into the space. It was horrible, the food was bad, the drinks were weak. I even played some of the games and made enough points to exchange for something at the end of the night. When I walked into the little store where you choose your price I saw some Care Bears, and knowing that there is a Mexican Care bear, called Amigo Care Bear, I thought i will get the Argentine one. They did not have it, so I gave my points to L and she got herself a little cute blue thingy for her desk.

Finally at 9 we all left D&B, I was not very hungry, but needed some chow before going to bed. M decided to take me to this sushi place he likes which happened to be somewhere in the path to my hotel - on the other side of town. We walked to Korea Town, on 32nd and Broadway and made our way East on 32nd. It is a strip full of Asian places, so I thought,we are going into one of these. No, it was not to be, we walked into building in the middle of the street and take the elevator to the 3rd floor. As the doors opened, we reach a second lobby and we open the only door there, and as by magic we were transported into one of those uber cool bars/restaurants/Karaoke place( this was Korea town after all) you see in the movies.

The space was all white and grey, the booths were not booths but benches separated by white drapes that created and defined the tables and the spaces, the bar as long and sleek. Every single kind of alcohol you could wish for was offered, and in the middle of the room, a huge Buddhist bell, and a transparent floor. Everyone there was Asian, everyone, I stuck out like an alien. Anyhow we sit down, they bring us the many menus, we order 4 rolls and some drinks, me being the non Asian, they forget to bring my drink, but they make up my bringing a couple 20 minutes later and they most weird sushi I have ever had was served. The rice was red, M said that red rice is the rice of the poor, but that it makes really good sushi,and each roll had more ingredients than I an remember. It was all good, even the one that was flamed on its way to the table. We ate the sushi and after a admiring the space, we paid the bill and I headed back to my hotel.

These are the 2 New Yorks, the one of the tourists who know no better, and the one of the locals who maybe know a little too much.

The worst bed in the bed ... not

After three nights at the Hotel in the East Side (a Ramada) which was not as bad as they reputation puts them, I can now say that the worst bed in the world, is that bed that they advertise everywhere the Tempur-pedic bed. Let me explain it feels like a block of foam, and you just kinda lay there and it does mold to the body shape and all that, but I can still not get out of my head the fact that I feel like I am sleeping in a foam mattress and that just doesn't suit me. My bed back home is firm, and no pun intended, i like firm beds. So this whole being absorbed in to the bed felt so unnatural to me, also I read at night just before bed - do not listen to the Argentine who will say that is not the case - when I am traveling it is nice to read before bed, cuz it relaxes my otherwise high strung mind and allows me to sleep without the aid of Tylenol PM. Anyhow so this is the main problem with this bed, it is just designed to sleep, not to read on it.
Because the mattress adopts your body form it is hard to read, because there is no support, so I ended up rolling around, and moving this way and that way and finally had to lay on my back and read with the book above my head, but then my arms get tired of holding the book, it doesn't help that I am reading a hard cover. So yes this bed is not made for reading, that is for sure.
On the other hand as weird and alien as the material seemed to me, at first I thought what kind of cheap ass bed is this, one does really sleep in it well. Even today I managed to sleep in till 7, decided to skip the gym, since I have a 20 block walk to the office and hauled my sorry ass and my bags to the office in the middle of the rain and the wind.

East Side Story

How funny of me to name this entry East Side Story, but that is because for the last two weeks I stayed in Chelsea and Mid town West, which were nice. But I knew the areas so there was little surprise, I knew what to expect of the barren that is the Garment district next to Penn Station and was entertained in the streets of Chelsea by the gym, the stores, the restaurant and the passers by. This week, I had to find a cheap but good hotel and they only thing that look right was on the East Side, to be more precise at the corner of Lexington and 30Th.

After work, I walked through Midtown until I found Lexington (It was a heck of a walk, like 6 huge blocks) and then walked down to 30th. I was not sure what I was going to find, I am not even sure the neighborhood has a name, but it is lovely. I was won over when i saw no less than 3 sushi restaurants by the hotel, and what seems like an upscale American dinner thing called Penelope across the street. The neighborhood feels quite like a neighborhood, a lot of brownstones and apartment building - with door mans of course - a lot of little stores, and dry cleaners and things like that.

The hotel this week is fine, the bed is a total disaster - that is worth another entry though. The carpets could use a change, and the furniture is circa 1984, but other than that the room is spacious (I am not saying big, I am saying spacious),clean and the bathroom is enough. It is lacking some space for my toiletries, but hey the entire La Prairie collection of potions doesn't fit in most places. So far so good, they even have complimentary breakfast, but I woke up too late today to make use of it.

If I have to walk one more block

NY is a city of pedestrians, and I had always thought that I was a walker. I like to walk and I am infamous for parking far away from my destination and walk around an entire neighborhood. But NY is different. Last week, I was going out with the co-workers to dinner and we walked here and there, and back and then we walked some more and finally got to the restaurant. Of course after dinner there was some more walking.

When I got back to the hotel and called the Argentine, it finally struck me. I was tired of walking - I have been tired for 2 weeks now. It was like a rebellious stance, where the driver in me, worse the commuter in me, had just decided that there was no way I could walk another block. Of course the next morning I walked to work and walked to a show and even walked back to the hotel, but that was cuz I had no cash to pay for the cabs, and because I had dessert with my dinner and thought it better to just walk and at least burn some calories.

I never thought I would say this, but I miss my car and I miss not having to walk everywhere, specially where there are all these slow tourists and people everywhere crowding the sidewalks and walking like they were on a a procession or something, instead of late for work.

There I said it, aghh I became an angry New York pedestrian in all of 2 days. Hey at least it will help me no gain more weight ? Maybe,please,,,

Back to DC

Been busy at work this past 2 days, I get to go back home soon ... Yay !!!

The Brooklyn Follies a Review

Another Book Review at the Argentine's

The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster

I actually liked it quite a bit, even if it took me only 1 month to read.

Starting at 6 am

For the first time in my life I woke up at 6, not be at work at 7, but to hit the gym before work. Somehow I feel invigorated but my legs are about to "give". One of the problems faced by social people like myself is that after work, we want to go socialize, and when you are in a little town like Wilkesboro, well its easy to go the gym, cuz there is nothing really to do. NYC on the other hand is completely different proposition all together and the two coworkers love to go out and they do not have to do much to convince me to just tag along. So workouts in the morning - tripple yawn - here I come.

Next on the list

Today as I browse the NYT, found this (see the above picture) so I guess that is one of the things I will try and do this week. The following is from the article and links to it:

The shark has landed. On Tuesday Damien Hirst’s killing-machine-in-a-box begins its three-year stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It lies in wait on the second floor, close to a bank of south-facing windows, entombed in a steel-and-glass tank that suggests a collaboration between Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt. On sunny days the light should intensify the azure cast of the 4,360 gallons of formaldehyde. After dusk, when I saw it, the window reflects the tank back at you, doubling the piece into a shark gantlet.

Vegan and drinks

I will start by saying that I am not a vegetarian, never been, probably never will, but I am open to try anything, at least once. Last night, the coworkers took me out to Gobo, a strict vegetarian place in the East Village, where there was not even butter to spread on the bread. The location is beautiful, an open kitchen, a long communal table in the center and sets of tables all around. The restaurant is all in blond wood, and the china is Asian inspired. One of those places with real pretty silverware.

But enough of the decor, we reviewed the wine list and chose a Spanish White, Albarinio, from North Western Spain and ordered 5 small dishes to share. And they were all very good, the best of all a set of soy cutlets grilled in a teriyaki sauce. They were yummy, I mean they were "meat like", they were crispy, they sauce was not too sweet. Just perfect. Then we also had some spinach dumplings, that were terrific and some fried rolls all using tofu or soy one way or another. Finally, I had order sweet potato and yuka fries - I was good and did not eat them all, actually was too full so only had 1/4 of the order - but they were perfect. Crispy and not greasy, just perfect. Then the coworkers guilted me about eating fries, and hence my good behavior.

After Gobo we visited a couple of bars in the Village, I sticked to water until we stumbled upon this little bar, Massif Central, a charming little restaurant with a terrific bartender who made the most complicated cocktails I have ever had. There I had a Barbelle, a champagne cocktail, with bitters, and different citrus juices, raspberry liquor, too many ingredients too mention, but it was one of those drinks that is pretty to look at and great to drink. So that was my evening, NYC, like the Argentinian says has the best restaurants in America because there is a culture around food, and enough people and money to keep all these unique 40 people places running. Coming from DC, where we rarely eat out of the norm, last night was refreshing and exciting.

Friday

Today is my 5Th day here, and its all been good, still have no desk, but I have gotten my work done, have enrolled at a Gym, have explored Chinatown, the East Village and even - gasp - visited Alphabet city. Yeps, it helps to work with two young straight coworkers that make a ton of money, so been whisked away to many new and exotic places. For some reason when I was told I was coming here I never thought about the garment district - do they really need another gay - or the East Village, but that is where the Girl resides, and you know how girls make the world go round.

Today the Argentine is coming, and that thought alone makes me smile. He is not coming alone, the Diplomat and one of the Architects are also coming. With the Diplomat we are going to see Spring Awakening which won the Tony, and they say it is one of the best musicals to hit the big white way in a while, I will report next week.

Today seems like Fall is on its way, me thinks this will be a year with a quick fall and a very prompt winter. Lets hope not, but that is what my instincts tell me.

Have a great weekend y'all.

Cold and gray

Incredibly, sometimes even NY can get boring and depressing. Today it is overcast and rainy and it seems that this is the way it is going to be for a couple more days.It is one of those days where all I want to do is get in bed and curl up, or just fall asleep. On of the problems I have been facing here is that I have no access to chat, so I feel completely disconnected, and I know that is bullshit, but when you are sitting on a training room waiting for a desk and equipment and have no one to talk to, that is the way I feel. I do not want to sound whiney, but I am just struggling today, maybe it is the weather. I think I am going to go with that, and blame it for my mindset.

Today I am thinking of going and watching a movie or just walking around a bit after work, need to find a cute place to sit down and finish "The Brooklyn Follies" which is this month's book club selection and send an email with my review, since I will miss the discussion.

Estrogen filled

This last weekend was full of it, it was Miss Adams Morgan. And as you know I do drag sometimes, so I had the dress, the belt, the handbag and everything, and Saturday, I ran around in the morning with the Rhody trying to get things at the last minute. After a quick nap not for me, but I showered and shaved, and had the Diplomat do my make up – which was flawless let me tell ya, flawless – we went off and got ready at the House of Drag, where the magic happens year after year.

The dress, the wig, the accessories all came together, and after 2 hours of primping, we went to the Hilton where we enjoyed a great night. As usual it is mostly about socializing and seeing and being seen than about the show or the contestants or what ever was happening on stage. I had a great time, Chantilly one of our leaders, gave a great show and was a hoot. Finally after 4 hours we decided to move to JR’s and then off to Annie’s for a traditional Miss Adams Morgan Bfast, at 1 am. It worked I was tired and so was the Argentine, so finally we left got the car and managed to get in bed at 3. I was weary and tired, and managed to fall asleep almost immediately.

Sunday, by accident mostly we saw “The Jane Austen’s Book Club”, a chick flick, about this 5 women and 1 man who read in 6 months all of Austen’s books, and in a clever plot twist, each book was reflected on what happened leading up to the meeting when the book club happened. The movie was fun, great one-liners and very cute, of course all the problems were resolved and in the end they all lived happily ever after. Which to me was its weakest point, I had assumed they would leave some conflicts unresolved or some hard situations they way they were, but even the Lesbian daughter shacks up with a doctor. I would give the movie a B, a solid B, it was entertaining and poignant, and it kinda makes me want to go read some of the other books I have not read from Austen, but at this rate with all the books I have I have not read, I am not sure that is going to happen. What to do after such a movie, we went to JR’s to say farewell to the Cowboy, who moved to Atlanta and was visiting. JR’s was uber packed, to the point where one could not move on inch. So I guess we got some testosterone too.

Changes ... yet again

NB. I wrote this post on Monday, but the internet connection at the hotel has been crappy and have not been able to post.

I am typing this as I ride the train to NYC, yes NYC, the city that never sleeps, they say that if you make it there you will make it any where. Enough with the tired clichés, I am a bit tired myself and on a train headed for a office I have never been and not sure what to expect. I know this is the life of the consultant, one day you are here next day you are not. What unsettles me the most is the fact that I was sent with three days notice, and barely anytime to properly plan anything, but oh well, we will approach this with a Mexican sensibility that allows me to try and operate under unplanned conditions.

Wish my luck, I love NY, I do, but I have always visited, never really lived there. I am sure that the hotel hopping alone will provide me with endless tails of horror to delight you or bore you, depending on the day. Yesterday while at dinner I made a promise to myself that I will enjoy it, it will only last a month, or so I have been told and this is an opportunity that does not come by often. Stay tuned cuz I have a feeling this will be a bumpy ride.

New York City

For all you out there, I have not disappeared, I am in NY for 1 month working for a retailer,known to y'all. I still have no puter at work, so using a training one hence the lack of posts. Everything is fine, a bit stressed, and all that, but you know me.

I have two posts written in the work laptop, but I can not use it here, so tonite I will post a bit.

Bag and belt

It is hump day and I am still in getting ready mode, I will be in this mood until Saturday, when it turns into scrambling and grabbing eyeliner mode. Of course I am not even half way done, and today I have given myself 2 tasks:
Find a bag I like
Find a belt to synch the dress

Let’s start with the bag, it is a necessity but it needs to fit the dress and the shows. This year because the dress is multicolor and I always g for tacky the shoes are gold, yes, gold. The bag must be gold, and I have a yellow bag that could be used, but nah, it doesn’t really go well with the ensemble. Also the Argentine, who is my personal Stylist/Coco Chanel, thought that one of the big bags now in vogue would be a good idea. The bag would carry the camera, cell phones, wallets, keys and other accoutrements required. Yesterday on my way home from the gym I checked out all the stores in Mt Pleasant Avenue and came out empty handed. Next stop is Payless and I am guessing Target. If all else fails the Argentine will have to carry all the junk.

Then there is the belt to consider, the dress is so busy that I am not sure what to do, been thinking something white or black, but know that it sound be gold, if the shows are gold. Also been thinking of reusing the strips of clothing that they are going to cut to shorten the dress and make something out of that. Decision, decisions, decisions. I am going to go to Michael’s, and see that they have. There is one by the office.

So that is the update for the day, will keep keeping you posted.

PS. I am fully back into the gym routine, I managed to do 1 hr of Stairmaster yesterday, hopefully I wont faint anytime soon.

Getting Ready

The “high heel” holidays are fast approaching my dear Fags, and non-fag readers. It is that time when one pilgrimages to Baltimore in search for couture and then goes back to DC to get a wig and the rest of the accessories that will mark this year’s October. Why? well because October is the month for the High Heel Race and Miss Adams Morgan. This year because MAM is this Saturday in October, but September was soo busy, we barely had time to get our outfits. Last Saturday we went to Baltimore, and got dresses. We were a party of 4, and I got the ugliest dress, I know, but it is a practical dress that fits and that will not require me to shave my legs, not for the pageant at least, later on the dress will be altered, but right now long is fine. The other three finds were spectacular, a purple and turquoise dream, a little black dress and a great red halter number ideal for a lounge chanteuse.

The first step had been taken, the dress is the basis of the whole outfit, it is the starting point and from there one builds both the rest of the look. The dress mandates the shoes, and the accessories and the wig. This year I will try a brunette wig, something that goes better with my coloring. I need a bag, to carry camera, wallet, cell phone, mini’s, keys and make up for touch ups. I am wearing long gloves to avoid shaving my arms. For us hairy men, it is all about minimizing the plucking, because trust me it takes time and it is painful. So once the dress was chosen I was lucky enough to find a pair of golden sandals that goes well with my multicolor dress (a wild pattern, in red, blue, yellow and green, lets just say no one is going to miss it) and a three stand pearl necklace, cuz I am a classy gal and I like my jewelry chunky.

The second step was shortening the dress, it was a bit long, and so I took 3 inches of the dress yesterday, and later on will turn it into a much shorter one, but that will be for the race. I need to get a belt or something to generate the illusion of a waist, that is today and tomorrow’s task.

Will keep u posted as the progress continues …

Betty's fault

Yesterday, the premiere of Ugly Betty gave me the perfect excuse to throw the first gathering of the fall at my place, I live in a basement apartment, that can get hot in the summer and spring, so usually if I have any social events they have to happen in the fall or winter. Taking the lead from TV, I realized that some pizza and red wine would be perfect to celebrate the return of Betty. I invited the closest and dearest and at 4 I left the office to go buy some wine and get home with enough time, to clean, put stuff away and order the pizzas.

I got to Dupont Circle at 4:50 or so and was looking for parking near Best Cellars, and I looked and looked, and looked and found nothing. I had a mess back home, so I did not have a lot of time. I saw a spot on R St, half legal, half illegal, but I figured , I am always a goodie two shoes, I will risk it how long will it take me to get 6 bottles of wine. I run to the store and choose my bottles and out of the corner of my eye I see one of the parking enforcement people walking up Connecticut Avenue, I told the clerk to hold my order, while I went and parked legally. I ran, I literally ran to my car and drove off to see if I could find a legal spot somewhere near the store, and as I am turning on S St, I see that I had already been ticketed. Insert a cry of frustration and pain, brought mostly by myself here. Aghhh, I was pissed, but I figured if they are around, and I park on my illegal spot as before they will give me another ticket. I did the rounds for 5 or 10 minutes and found a spot, went to the store and bought the wine, walked to the car and went home.

My only question is how can the same city that takes 6 months to fix Rock Creek Parkway, and where there are pools like Marie Reed that need fixin’ and never get can give anyone a ticket after being parked somewhat, ok, not somewhat, just plain illegally a ticket in less than 5 minutes?

Check is in the mail Mr. Mayor.

Sometimes Horoscopes are all wrong

After an exhausting practice yesterday, I read until 11:30, went to bed and woke up at 7 today - that is 30 minutes later than usual, which meant 30 minutes late for everything else. I get to the office and here is my horoscope:

Virgo
For Thursday, September 27 - There is certainly no shortage of high-spirited energy inside you right now, but it will need a little bit of coaxing to come out at full strength. Why are you holding back? You should be all about celebrating the nuclear-strength power you have! Show people how it is possible to get tons of stuff done while still keep everyone happy. You're entering a highly productive phase and this increased energy will help you create the momentum you need to carry you through.

Ahhhh, so not right.

Dirty Little Secrets

These are some of things I have learned during my time “on the beach”

• All those people that say come in at 7 and leave at 3, are lying, they come in at quarter of 8 at best, or 8:30, and then still leave at 3. I observe that on the rare occasions I come in at 8 and happen to be the first person at the office.

• No one really cares, you show up, talk to people, send some emails, and no one really cares.

• All office building delis are horrid places with even more horrid food.

• There is nothing better than a 1.5 hour lunch break, to make you sleepy and non productive, but at the same time, if you eat in 20 minutes, you are not going to be more productive or engaged.

• Best time to buy groceries, at 2 after the lunch crowd, you can even do cart wheels in the store! And all the shelves are restocked and there are no, absolutely no lines.

• The New York Times is the best newspaper in the country, followed closely by our own Washington Post.

• Never write long emails, no one reads them. If you have a lot to say use bullet format that way when people come back with I did not know, you can just point at the list they clearly did not read.

K, now I have to go work…

Tuesday's notes

Hey y’all had a good birthday weekend, I enjoyed seeing everyone and hanging out, and had some down time too which was nice. Other than that, not more to talk about this week has started slow, and something tells me it will remain that way – cross your fingers.

The big question of the week is do I try to get an ensemble for Miss Adams Morgan or do I jut go like a boring person with a shirt and slacks. I am not sure, I live dressing up, but basically the event will be 2 weeks from now, and I have nothing, I mean nothing, except the coat from last year. Maybe the Argentine can help with ideas, but I am at a loss for what to try and come up with. The theme of the party is TVLand, and of course I missed all those “great” sitcoms from the 80’s and 70’s and even part of the 90’s so no clue what to do. Any one has any ideas? A lot of people are doing Bewitched, today at the pool I heard three different people that have that idea, so there will be so many Esmeraldas it won’t be even funny.

Well that is all for today, I will be trying to do some work today, we shall see.

Friday’s round up or NPR sometimes makes me cry

As I was driving to work, as usual listening to Morning Edition, I got all misty eyed and all that, and it was not allergies or cold, it was NPR. They were showcasing Ken Burns’ new documentary about II WW, and I have always been interested in that war, it to me the greatest conflict of the 20th century. But it was not the political and military aspects that made the piece so interesting, Burns has chosen to tell the story through three cities in the US, and cover the three main theaters of the War – from an American point of view – the Atlantic, the Pacific and the home fronts. The documentary chose Luverne, Minn. Sacramento, Calif., Waterbury, Conn., and Mobile, Ala., as the places where start, and covers the impact of the war on the towns, and the places where the town’s men and women went to fight the war. It is not the horrors of the battles that made me sad, but the stories told by an Alabama newspaper, where a writer chronicled what was happening in town with candor and feeling, on of his stories is about a Friday, when the town is shutting down, but there is a rumor that a telegram is coming for a certain family that lived in Magnolia St, as the husband was walking home, he asked which of his 4 boys it was, and when he got the name, we kept walking home to break the news to his wife. It is those stories that help me keep perspective and realize that our trials and tribulations are not as epic or grandiose as they seem to us.

The documentary will air on PBS this Sunday, but here is the link to the NPR story.

Also the pic in the post today is from the extension of the Prado Museum in Madrid, I was reading El Pais, and they had this gallery and article on the expansion of the Museum, and it looks so pretty, so amazingly pretty, that I decided to post a picture and give you a link to the gallery. Moneo, the architect, did a terrific job, he expanded the building in a modern way, not replicating the XVIIIth century building yet making it feel warm and light. You know I was thinking of the architects when I saw the pictures.

Tales of the City

Last night I found out that Tuesday someone was assaulted right around the corner from my place. To say it was shocking was an understatement; seriously, it was for me a blow to my sense of security and peace of mind. Apparently – I tried to find a story on the WaPo unsuccessfully – the person attacked had parked down the hill (this is a one way street with the park on one side and house on the other) and was walking up hill when he was cornered by two guys that pushed him to the ground and took his wallet and cell phone and Lord knows what else. From the email that the president o the block sent, the person went to the hospital, and I ma hoping everything is fine and it was just a scare. But momentarily and for a while I will be uneasy every time I park and walk to my place with a laptop, a gym bag and plenty of paraphernalia needed when one works so far away from home that one carries with oneself half one’s thing every morning.

I am not even going to go into the usual discussion, the two attackers are the “usual” suspects, and that is all. I mean we live in a city and cities are dangerous places. I know that. I also know that it happens everywhere, in Gtown, in Mt Pleasant, in Columbia Heights, everywhere, so no one is free of it, not even the people in Potomac, from what happened there this week. But still, what is one to do, I can not be home at 6 every night locked away safely, I need to go out, swim, come back home, so the answer is to continue one’s life. Even if I have a rational discussion about this, I am still afraid, at least a little bit. I guess time will take the fright away, and in a couple of months I will be able too park and not look for suspicious people. But for the time being, you betcha I have a plan and I will be overtly alert.

Pictures!!

Today I have not much to post about, I did go to the gym yesterday and planning on swimming today which makes me proud. In the mean time I am at the office, training myself and waiting for the next project, but I finally put all the Pictures from my summer travels online and decided that you, if you have the time and the inclination, should see them, here they are:

Paris

Amsterdam

Giverny

I liked the ones from Giverny, and I have to concur with the Architect that after seeing the gardens one starts questioning Monet's talent.

Back on track

This is my 4th week back in DC full time, and by now I had anticipated to be fully incorporated into my old routine. Yes the gym, swimming, eating semi healthily and all that. Unfortunately that did not happen, at all. I tried swimming and I am in such bad shape that I feel like I can barely lift my arms and swim. It is like I am relearning it. The gym well lets not talk about that, I have been there twice in three weeks, hopefully that will all change today (cross your fingers) and the diet, well at least I have managed to eat diner at home almost 4 times per week, which to me is a record. So that has been the easiest part of it, the hard part has been getting my ass of the bed or the desk and start working out a little more, until I am in shape again.

That is all the news I got, really it has been a challenge, and I need to get to it because my stay in the south just left me out of shape, I can barely believe it.

The Year of Magical Thinking

I just put down this book, and it is so good that I want to write the review immediately before I forget it. It took me a while to finish it, 2.5 weeks, it is barely 250 pages, but the subject is very hard, but the writing and her approach to it is unbelievable. So go the Argentine’s blog, for the review, and then go to Amazon, or Kramer’s or wherever and buy this book and read it.

Knitting Lessons

Today the knitting part of this blog re-emerges because on of my coworkers who is about to go on pregnancy leave – I am sure that is not the name, but I can not think of the technical one right now – asked me to teach her how to knit. Her objective like mine is to pass the time, not to make an afghan or even a scarf, but like the GCC says it is about the process not the product. I agree whole heartedly, being one of those who can not sit still for more than 10 minutes, I understand her completely. If I had to be locked up in a house with an infant, I would go nuts.

Today at lunch time, we are going to get her some yarn, and I will teach her how to knit. At first I thought I would give her yarn, but then thought that she should choose it, not that the first ball of it will be useful or anything, but she needs to choose it in a color she likes. Of course this gives me the opportunity to get more yarn. Been thinking I have too many dark colors, I need something lighter, in a yellow or an orange, or a light blue for a blanket I have been meaning to finish sometime in 2010. I digress, then it will be time to teach the purl and the knit, and let her practice. I guess this officially makes me one of the gayest people I know. Oh well …

Oiii, my people!!!

At first today had little to blog about, there is always the anniversary, but many have talked about it much better than I could. I tend to be too corny when talking about grandiose topics and feelings, just ask the Argentine, which by the way is still away, but he is coming back soon. Alas, I found a story of great interest, I must warn you it is in Spanish, but I will translate the gist of it. A Mexican couple named their child Yahoo, as in the search agent, I think they used its’ personals to meet, or something. The article just mentions that they insisted on calling the kid Yahoo, even if the people at the civil registry – in Mexico, when you are born, you go to the Civil Registry and register the child, that is the law, I am not sure how it is done North of the border – warned them of the psychological harm they child would come to as he grew up and went to school. Apparently in the same jurisdiction an “environmentalist” couple called their children Tree, Arbol in Spanish. Funny huh, well those are my people, what can I say, I have heard worse, such as boys called USMAIL, or girls called Lady Di, can you imagine, a cute little Mexican girl called Lady?

So what are there some funny names you know? Do you think people can be scared by the name their parents give them? I think so, that is why people should use good Christian names, when they have good Christian Last names, and to my peoples everywhere in this country, please, please, please stop calling people Brian when their last names will be Gonzalez or Perez.

Have a good day,,, stepping off my classist soap box.

A year in the Merde - the book Review

Ok, yes another book review, I kinda fell of the face of the planet for the last 2.5 weeks, but my parents were in town, I was in training and had a myriad things to do. Go to the Argentine’s site for the review.

I get the Paris Pictures, because he gets the book review. Yes he is still in Argentina, but he is coming back soon.